Meconopsis betonicifolia, M. grandis (true form) M. nepalensis

[Cgull49]

I successfully sowed Meconopsis betonicifolia, M. grandis (true form) and M. nepalensis in March of this year and had reasonable germination.  I sowed these in a pre-mixed peat based mix which contains small sized perlite and a little bit of general purpose fertilizer. The ratio of peat to perlite is approximately 5:1.  After germination these pots were placed outside in my unheated cold frame where they get morning sun and afternoon shade.  The difficulty I am having is related to the growth rate of the M. which in my opinion is very slow.  The largest of the plants is about 3-4mm in diameter but most are barely 1-2mm in diameter after 3-1/2 months.

Is this rate of growth normal?  If not, what recommendations would anyone suggest that I do to speed up the rate of growth?

[gote]

No it is definitely not normal. Even the two cotyledons should be larger than that. I wonder if your seed is right or if you got weed seed germinating. Unfortunately I have no picture of Meconopsis cotyledons to post and it is the wrong season to find any but they are quite easy to recognize. As I remember it, the cotyledons sit on a stalk that is 3-5mm long and they are 4-6mm long and a couple of mm wide at the base and narrowing towards the tips.
Personally I always sow in a more "natural soil" and try to get them out in the ground as soon as practical. I.e. when they are a couple of centimeters high. After three months they should have leaves at least 5 cm long. They will seed themselves if allowed to.
Avoid high temperatures at all times. it is easy to kill them by using a greenhouse.
I have no idea what you can do they seem to small to transplant.
Cheers
Göte

[ichristie]

Hi, I would try some liquid feeding half strength tomatoe fertiliser is fine plus take some of your seedlings in a bunch and pot them up into different compost may just not have anything left in what the seedlings are growing in, i post a picture of some M. punicea seedlings cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[Cgull49]

Thanks Göte & Ian - Based on your comments I think I'm lacking nutrients in my mix.  I was planning on posting a picture or two of my pots but when I went to take a picture of them last evening I found that they had been visited earlier by a slug or two.  I knew I should have put some slug bait down sooner.  I'll just have to start again.  Would now be too late to sow them and get them successfully through the winter in an unheated cold frame?  When I sowed them in the spring they germinated within a couple weeks so I would have about 3 mths of growth before the consistently cold weather arrived in November. Regards Rob.

[ichristie]

Hi again, I would wait until Feb March to sow again as it is unlikely you would get anything  now,  good luck,   cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[ichristie]

Hi again, I forgot to say the all Meconopsis betonicifolia are now to be known as M. baileyi which was the origonal name, it seems that true plants of M. betonicifolia are stoloniferus, no plants of the true M. betonicifolia are in cultivation in the U.K. but we have heard that seedlings are around. I like you are very confuse as the plants in cultivation have been around since the late 1920s, I know things must change if we find out that we have been wrong all these years but it is hard to take in,  cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[gote]

Ian,
I thought that it was only the form with a kind of whorl halfway up that was baileyii and that the more pyramidal form would be betonicifolia. I was shown that one by Evelyn some years ago. I probably overlooked this in one of the group reports - or do you have it from somewhere else.
Cheers
Göte

[ichristie]

Hi Gote, A new article written by Chris Grey Wilson in the latest AGS magazine tells all and I have spoken to Chris about this and it is difficult to take in these new changes, cheers Ian.

[ichristie]

Hi here is a picture of Meconopsis grandis ex PSW which is flowering in the garden now, cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[arisaema]

Lovely plant, Ian! You wouldn't by any chance grow the aff. grandis with wine-red flowers from Tromsø? I am curious to know what it looks like, got a small piece of it last summer, but it won't flower for at least another year.

[ichristie]

Hi, yes I have got the plant not yet out but i guess that it is closer to M.baileyi, will pst a picture when possible, cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[arisaema]

Thank you, I look forward to it. It's possible we have two different plants, mine has lanceolate leaves and looks closer to M. grandis than M. baileyi.

[ichristie]

Hi again an interesting picture but a bit early to tell. I post some pictures taken today Meconopsis grandis from Sikkim and meconopsis purple flowers, cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[ichristie]

We now have many Meconopsis flowering in the garden so here are a few taken recently, cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[angie]

Here a few meconopsis flowering in a friends garden.